……“When in distress
we seek for someone to help us. We pray God for His divine
intervention. We try to cash on the social position of
our relatives and friends alike for that purpose. However
we do not, at times, get the desired help, all our efforts
notwithstanding. On the other hand, at times, someone
unexpectedly appears on the scene and helps us. Then we
thank God for sending such a helpful friend. Thereafter
while introducing this friend to others we address him
as “my friend.” In this context keeping in
view the basic principles of the Hindu karma theory as
pronounced in our scriptures and practiced by the spiritual
masters, a moot question need to be answered i.e. does
or does not the cause and effect dynamics operate here?

The karma theory would
say that this helpful friend was an associated character
of a certain past life and was to pay back the good act
of rendering help as Rinanubandh (payment of the past
debts). It means that by one’s deeds of the past
life (lives), one has earned this friend. Be that as it
may, let us examine this issue from the point of view
of the sudden appearance of an enemy at a certain distressful
point of time in life. Our immediate reaction begins from
annoyance and leads to revenge ex-anger. There after we
normally start vilifying him and address him as “my
enemy”.

Thus, our entire life
sees the world as full of “my friends” and
“my enemies”. But if “our friends”
were created by our past deeds, which we glorify secretly
then is it not logical that “our enemies”
must have been created by certain acts committed by us
in the past life (lives). Let us therefore agree to say
that in our lives “my friends” and “my
enemies” have to be equally addressed, as both have
been created by me and are “mine”. Since both
of them have been created due to karmic bandhan (Rinanubandh)
isn’t it our duty to neutralize the effects of both
in this life so that we don’t carry forward the
seeds of cause-effect to the next life. Herein karma theory
would say that a friend returns the pleasurable experience(s)
as we had given same or similar pleasurable experiences
to him in a past life.

Similarly an enemy would
pay back the unpleasant or painful experience(s) because
we had given him same or similar painful experience(s)
in the past. When facing a situation of unhappiness created
by the enemy we have two options in dealing with him-either
by going through painful experience(s) we neutralize its
effects or by reacting adversely we carry forward a chain
of reaction to future lives. Here comes in the wisdom
of saints like Shri Shirdi Sai Baba.

The story of the frog
and snake named as Chenbassapa and Veerbhadrappa respectively
as illustrated in Shri Sai Satcharitra is a pointer towards
the correct answer to our question. Shri Sai Baba has
advised His devotees not to react sharply and adversely
towards enemies with equal and opposite negativities but
to allow negative effects of past karmas reflected through
the enemy to neutralize gradually. This highly evolved
and critical theory of Karma (cause and effects) can perhaps
be better understood through a simple example.

Suppose one releases
an arrow from a bow, then what happens! The arrow at the
release point will move with the highest velocity and
will gradually slow down due to mid-air friction and take
a curvaceous path due to the gravity of earth before hitting
the target. However, the moment it hits the target or
failing which hits the earth, its force is neutralized.
This means that more the distance the arrow travels the
less momentum it creates at the impact point. Greater
distance means greater time and less impact.

When we assimilate the
basic principles of these two theories of metaphysics
and physics, we come to the conclusion that instead of
directly reacting to an enemy’s wrath, it is wiser
to show a little tolerance and allow time to reduce the
impact of the enemy’s conduct. When Shri Sai Baba
spoke of “Saburi” it included this aspect
of handling of enemies with patience and consideration.
This message of the seers handed over to the human society
from time to time is unfortunately lost sight of and that
is the cause of most of the social malice that we face
today.

Let us pray Shri Sai
to give us the intellect and wisdom to make tomorrow’s
world a happier place to stay by following His principle
of “Shraddha” and “Saburi””…….

FROM "LIFE OF SAI BABA" BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

……“That Anna Saheb Dabolkar's
thoughts were changed thoroughly, may be more amply set
out in what follows. First when he went to Baba, he had
just a bit of devotion to Baba, and his main nature was
still egoistic, combative and was largely concerned with
worldly ambitions. From 1910-16, his progress was hardly
noticeable. But in 1917, a change came and he himself
sets it out in chapter XVIII and XIX of his book, and
therefore, we shall now proceed to refer to them.

When he was shampooing
Baba's legs, one Mr. Sathe had a problem and that was
mentioned to Baba. Sathe was directed by Baba to read
Guru Charitra and he did so for seven days. At the close
of it Baba appeared in a dream vision to him with the
Guru Charitra in his hand. Kaka Dixit came and asked Baba
whether he would explain to Sathe what the appearance
meant. He asked ‘Is he to go on with a second saptaha
or study of the Guru Charitra?’ Baba said, ‘Yes’.
Baba also said, ‘If the work be studied carefully,
the devotee will become pure and will be benefitted. The
Lord will be pleased and will rescue him from samsara’.

Hearing these words,
Anna Dabolkar, Hemad Pant thought, ‘For the last
seven years since 1910 to 1917 I have been serving Baba
and have never got a vision, and this man, Mr. Sathe after
a week’s stay at Shirdi gets his vision. Like a
chataka bird, 1 am waiting for Baba to pour his nectar
on to me and bless me with his instructions, this was
his thought. Baba read his thought at once and told him,
‘Go to Shama. Get from him Rs.15 dakshina, stay
and chat with him for a while and then come back’.

Accordingly, he went
to Shama and asked for Rs. 15 dakshina. Shama, was a very
poor man and said, ‘I send my 15 namaskars’.
Then Hemad Pant said, ‘I' am asked to chat with
you and listen to you’. Shama then began to tell
him the stories of Baba’ s lilas, and the foremost
amongst them that he mentioned was about Mrs. Radhabai
Deshmukin. Shama said, ‘There was a lady, an old
woman who came to Baba and who had resolved to get Mantropadesha
from Baba. Baba did not give it.

She wanted to try satyagraha.
She actually began to fast saying that she would fast
unto death at Shirdi unless Baba gave her upadesha. After
three days of the fast, 1 interceded on her behalf and
requested Baba to take pity upon her and give her something.
So, Baba sent for her, and told her this, ‘Mother,
why are you subjecting yourself to unnecessary tortures
and meeting death. You are my mother and I am your child.
Pity me. I will tell you my story. If you listen to it,
it will do you good.

I had a Guru. He was
a very great saint and most merciful. I served him very
long indeed. Still he did not whisper any mantra into
my ear. 1 was anxious never to leave him but to stay with
him and serve him and receive some instruction from him.
But he had his own method. He just got my head shaved
and asked me for two pice as dakshina. I gave the same
at once. If you ask ‘how a perfect Guru should ask
for dakshina, and yet be called desireless’, I will
explain to you that what he asked for was not coins.

The first pice that
he asked for was Nishta or firm faith and the second pice
he wanted was Saburi or patience or perseverance. These
two I gave him and he was pleased. I served my Guru for
12 years. He brought me up: There was no lack of food
or clothing. He was full of love. He was Love Incarnate.
His love was in¬describable. He loved me keenly. Rare
is such a Guru. When I looked at him, I was filled with
bliss and he was in bliss. Night and day I gazed at him
without thinking of hunger and thirst. Without him, I
felt restless. I had no other subject to meditate on.

I had nothing but the
Guru to attend to. He was my sole refuge. My mind was
always fixed on him. That fixture is the first pice nishta.
The second pice, Saburi, is my waiting patiently and very
long on my Guru and serving him. This Saburi will take
you across samsara. Saburi is manliness in man. It removes
all sins and afflictions, gets rid of calamities in various
ways, removes all fear and ultimately gives you success.
Saburi is a mine of virtues and is the consort of good
thought. Nishta and Saburi go together. My Guru never
expected anything else from me. But he never neglected
me and always protected me. I lived with him and sometimes
away from him. Still I never felt the want or absence
of his love. He always protected me by his glance as a
tortoise feeds its young ones. Oh, mother, my Guru never
taught me any mantra. How can I give you any?

Do not try to get mantra
or upadesha from anybody. Make me the sole object of your
thought and actions, and you will undoubtedly attain Paramartha,
the spiritual goal of life. Look at me wholeheartedly,
and I shall also do the same, that is, look at you wholeheartedly.
Sitting in this Masjid, I speak the truth and nothing
but the truth. No sadhanas and no proficiency in sastras
is necessary. Have faith and confidence in your Guru.
Believe fully that the Guru is the sole Actor or Doer.
Blessed is he who knows the greatness of his Guru and
thinks him to be Hari, Hara and Brahma Trimurti Incarnate.
Shama said, 'The lady then accepted the advice’.

After hearing Shama,
Anna Saheb went to the Masjid, and there he sat next to
Baba, and when the Arti was going on, Baba asked him whether
he went to Shama and asked for dakshina and had a chat.
Dabolkar said, ‘Shama sent his 15 namaskars. In
the chat, he gave an account of Mrs. Radhabai Deshmukin's
incident’. Baba asked, ‘What is it?’
Dabolkar narrated the whole story. Then Baba said, ‘Wonderful
is the story. Did the story strike you, and did you catch
its significance?' Anna Saheb said, ‘Yes. The restlessness
of my mind has vanished. I have got true peace and come
to know the truth path’.

Then Baba said, ‘My
method is quite unique. Remember well this one story,
and it will be very useful. To get knowledge or reali¬sation
of the self, Dhyana is necessary. If you practise it continuously,
the Vrittis, thoughts, will be pacified. Being quite desireless,
you should meditate on the Lord who is in all the creatures,
and when the mind is concentrated, the goal will be achieved.
Meditate always on my formless nature, which is knowledge
Incarnate, Consciousness and Bliss.

If you cannot do this,
meditate on my form from top to toe as you see here night
and day. As you go on doing this, your vrittis will be
one-pointed and the distinction between the Dhyata the
meditator, Dhyana the act of meditation, Dhyeya the thing
meditated upon will be lost, and the meditator will be
one with the consciousness and be merged in Brahman.

' The mother tortoise
is on one bank of the river and her young ones are on
the other side. She gives neither milk nor warmth to them.
The mere glance gives them nutrition. The young ones do
nothing but remember and meditate upon their mother. The
tortoise glance is, to the young ones, a downpour of nectar,
the only source of sustenance and happiness. Similar is
the relation between the Guru and His disciples. Baba
gave him sugar candy and said, ‘If you take this
story to heart, remember it well, your state will be equally
sweet. Your desires will be fulfilled and you will be
happy. Meditate ¬on the story, assimilate its spirit,
then you will always remember and meditate on the Lord
who will manifest himself to you.”……

DEVOTEE EXPERIENCE

‘He who loves Him whole
heartedly, gets response from Him at any time, at any
place.’

I cannot clearly remember how
and when I got a very small clay idol of my beloved Sai
Baba. At that time I knew nothing about Him and placed
Him in a showcase. Today, I realize, the moment he stepped
into my house was surely the most auspicious moment of
my life.

In the year 1998, Sonia, a
very close fiend of my daughter gave us a photo of Baba
and the holy book ‘Sri Sai Satcharitra’. Since
then we are showered by His endless kindness and blessings.
I have experienced many incidents that cannot be explained
by practical aspects. From those precious experiences,
one, I think is unbelievable.

A relative of mine was preparing
to go to Bombay. As I came to know, I insisted that she
go to Shirdi. I did not know how much she believes Baba.
I gave her an idol of Baba and used to talk about Him
and His kindness when she was in distress. The day she
set out for Bombay, I felt very low.

I have a long cherished desire
to go to Shirdi. I don’t know when He will allow
me to bow my head down at His Holy Lotus Feet. I felt
very low and wept a lot. The next day I found a saffron
coloured multi-petalled chin rose has bloomed. It was
the first flower of that tiny plant. The flower was exceptionally
big and mesmerized me with its brightness. I plucked it
and placed it on Baba’s Lotus Feet in my pooja room.
It was 9 o’clock in the morning.

All day I was very busy. At
about 10 o’clock at night I suddenly noticed that
the flower was still as fresh as it was when I plucked
it in the morning. It was paced in the dry surface at
Baba’s Feet and it got the heat of the candle that
I lit under the shelf in the morning and evening. It haunts
me a lot. It is not possible for a tender flower to be
fresh for such a long time.

I have a habit that when I
wake up in the morning, I first open the door of the pooja
room and give my pranam to Baba. As I opened the door
I was astonished. The flower was just as fresh as it was
yesterday morning. Tears came to my eyes. In my conscience
as if I heard – “I am with you; My abode is
in your heart and I am within you.” I was thrilled.

That day also the flower looked
fresh. The next day at about 9 o’clock that is after
48 hours, the petals of the flower started drying up.
Later I went to the Sai Baba’s temple where the
pujariji insisted I buy an audio CD as I was asking him
for another one. I came back home with that audio CD which
pujariji persuaded me to buy. It was a VCD. The songs
were picturised inside the Shirdi Mandir and the surrounding
areas of the mandir. I was spell bound.

I asked my relative to bring
Udi, Prasad and photo of Baba. She came back to Kolkata
and left her bag over there in Bombay. But unexpectedly
I got Udi, Prasad and photo of Baba from another person
who also went to Shirdi at the same time.

As I am now unable to go to
Shirdi, my generous Baba has accepted my pooja and darshan
this way. Deep in my heart I consider all these incidents
as His kindness. He is omniscient – He is everywhere,
I realize. He surely sees all that we feel – all
that we desire.

I was
so engrossed in the world
That I never thought of Your love for me,
Nor did I think of the good things
And the blessings You showered on me.

Time passed, sometimes
slow, sometimes fast,
but I never remembered You.
The vain desires of life kept flickering and mounting.
The mirages of happiness felt in different objects, kept
alluring, fascinating.

I watched the play of birth and death
Indifferent, unconcerned. Day after day
You kept fulfilling my desires.
You extended Your hand whenever I was in trouble.

Yet I never thought
of Your love for me.
You waited for me for so many years
But I never looked behind and glanced at You.
Now when I think of You, You have gone.

I crave for You and
wait for You day after day,
But do not find You.
I know the value of Your love. I plead You to come
But You have gone.

My heart is full of
grief and eyes shed tears
But You are not there to see.
I surrender everything at Your feet
But it is not enough compared to what You gave me.

You will come, I know
You will come
The day You are convinced,
I love You and desire You
More than anything else.

A man cannot live
without engaging himself in some action/karma. Scriptures
mention that there are four differnt paths in spirituality
namely Karma, Jnana, Yoga and Bhakti that separately lead
a man to his final goal of deliverance. In Kaliyug, Karma
in conjunction with Bhakti is the main path of deliverance.
One has to work out the actions of his past karma whilst
holding on to the feet of Lord to rise spiritually. God
has bestowed man with the faculty of intelligence through
which he is capable of discriminating between good and
bad actions. A spiritually oriented man, filled with love
for God, using the sense of discrimination, always engages
in satkarma or good deeds or actions. Karma is like an
investment which determines future life or destiny ie.,
if he is going to be happy or lead a life of misery. If
one were to engage in bad karma/actions then the future
is bleak for him for he has to suffer the consequences
of his deeds either in this birth or next. As Baba mentions
in Satcharita, we have to reap now the fruit of what we
sow (do) in our past life, and there is no use in crying
about it. When we talk about the future course of life,
we talk about destiny or Prarabdh for which we are the
architects of our destiny.

As Jean Nidetch right
fully says It is choice--not chance-- that determines
your destiny.

If a man were to suffer
the consequences of his evil actions, and he holds on
to the feet of Guru, by surrendering to Guru completely
and considers Guru to be master, God and helmsman who
would help him tread the path of the worldly ocean and
guide him in his spiritual quest, then such man will be
rescued from the bondage of his karma and will have a
good life in future. Only a Sadguru can deliver a man
from the clutches of his destiny or prarabdh. Satcharita
illustrates this point wherein Baba talks about actions/karma
and cause and effect of karma. For example when Bhimaji
Patil in desperation pleaded that Baba relieve him of
his ailment Baba pointed out that the disease was due
to the previous evil karma, and was not at first disposed
to interfere. But on hearing Bhimaji Patil's plea for
mercy, the merciful Sadguru cured him of the disease.

Similarly, Dr Pillay
suffered from a severe case of guinea worms and was in
pain. On hearing Dr Pillay’s plea for mercy Baba
said "In ten days he can work out the sufferings
and consequences of his past Karma". The leper devotee
Bhagoji Shinde was also cured by grace of Baba.

The essence of Baba's
teachings in Satcharita is to do good to others and restrain
from indulging in acts that would harm others either through
actions, thoughts or words. A man who cannot control his
bad actions is bound by prarabdh karma/destiny and has
to suffer the consequences of his actions. Only when the
good and bad actions are balanced then a Guru comes along
to relieve the person from the clutches of his prarabdh
karma. Baba rescued the frog from the jaws of snake. Baba
said both were wicked in their past life and were now
reaping the fruit of their actions in these bodies.

Being caught in the
race for survival and greed for materialism man's actions
have stooped him down to the level of beasts. Human values
are lost. Basic instincts of love, compassion, empathy,
kindness are replaced with greed, anger, hatred, lust,
jealousy, cheating and killing. Relationships have no
value, no respect for elders. Knowledge is considered
a waste of time. It is money that makes the world go round
and money talks, attracts friends. A man who is attached
to money finds no peace and is never satisfied in any
relationship. He is bound to engage in actions that would
destine him to suffer the result of his prarabdh karma.
Increase in anarchy, sadness, disputes, illnesses, sudden
loss of vision, limbs paralysed, and bedridden by being
dependent on someone etc are the result of past actions.
This is like a vicious circle from which there is no respite
for a man engaged in evil deeds. For such a man God is
only a source for fulfillment of his carnal needs rather
than quenching his spiritual thirst and elevating him
to higher planes of spirituality.

It is never too late
to resort to the feet of Sadguru and seek shelter under
His grace. Such a man is liberated from his sins, no doubt
he has to suffer for the consequences of his past actions
but the impact of his past prarabdh will be greatly reduced
by the grace of Sadguru. We can make this world a better
place by not retaliating when someone hurts us, by serving
those who have become physically disabled in our family
due to their past prarabdh, by giving food to the hungry.
Be magnanimous in doing charity. Be humble in actions.
Know that we are nothing but particles of dust on this
earth easily blown away by the wrath of nature. What is
today will be gone tomorrow as is proved by the tsunamis,
earthquakes, tornadoes, bush fires, floods, famines and
wars; all acts of nature. Knowing this, man should take
refuge in God, be humble, and practice what Baba has advocated
through Satcharita. Baba has himself promised: “It
is My special characteristic to free any person, who surrenders
completely to Me, and who does worship Me faithfully,
and who remembers Me, and meditates on Me constantly.
.... I shall draw out My devotees from the jaws of Death.
If My stories are listened to, all the diseases will be
got rid of.”

For a man who has
surrendered himself to Baba, will find Baba waiting to
hold him to His bosom and relieve man of the burdens of
his prarabdh.

It is so many years since Shri Shirdi Sai Baba attained
samadhi and still we are experiencing his compassion and
love as much as his devotees of those days experienced.
He is a guiding force in the lives of all Sai devotees.
The fact that there are so many Sai temples in India and
all over the world and so many devotees meeting on the
platform of Sai consciousness on this website shows how
Baba is with us at every step we take.

Usha Vishwanath, New Delhi

Life is a campaign
against one's inner foes; it is a battle with obstacles,
temptations, hardships and hesitations. These foes are
within man and so the battle has to be incessant and perpetual.
Like the virus that thrives in the bloodstream, the vices
of lust, greed, hate, malice, pride and envy sap the energy
and faith of man and ruin him.

Thank you and all members of Heritage of Shirdi Sayee
for all your Good Wishes and Blessings of Sai Nath. I
am the Managing Trustee of Shri Shri Shirdi Sai Trust
Thanjavur. We have rebuilt the small Temple of Sai Nath.
The boxes containing Baba's Marble Statue along with a
stone where he used to sit were unloaded from the train
by an elderly devotee and he left them at nearby shop
As nobody came to claim them for a long time they were
opened in the presence of my father, a leading lawyer,
who built a small temple on his agricultural land in Thanjavur
in 1949. Now we have built a magnificent Durbar for Baba
at Thanjavur to accomodate a large number of devotees.

Swaminathan, Thanjavur

Thanks for printing my experience with Baba in the Maha
Samadhi issue of Heritage of Shirdi Sai magazine. Baba
has given me so much peace in my life... that when anything
goes wrong I have faith that Baba will take care of me.
I am working as Senior Manager, Corporate Communication...
if you need my services to edit your magazine or write
articles please let me know... I shall be happy to be
associated with your organization.

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba
Sansthan, Canada, (Toronto) cordially invite Devotees
to attend - volunteer - Receive Baba's Grace and be Immersed
in Divine Bliss on the AUSPICIOUS day of THURSDAY 6:30PM
at the GUR MANDIR 207 Queen's Plate Drive., Etobicoke
(South of Steeles on the East side of Highway 27 on Queen's
Plate)

Invocation Ceremony
of Baba's Divine Blessings will be conducted with Sacred
Ashtotra Namavali to the accompaniment of Bhajans, Satcharita
Paraayan, Naivedaya Offerings Dhoop Aarti and Mahaprasaad
(Preeti Bhoj) Devotees are welcome to bring a dish for
Naivedaya Offerings as inspired by Baba. Details at www.shirdisainath.org

By the grace of our Shirdi
Sai we are happy to announce the inauguration of Shri Shirdi
Sai Temple in LA region in the city of Montebello. We need
the support of all Sai Devotees. For more information please
email krishna@shirdisaila.org

The North America Shirdi Sai Temple is located at 700
James Burgess Road,Suwanee GA 30024.Temple is open all
seven days of the week. Baba's Kakad Aarti, Abhishek Puja,
Madhyan Aarti, Dhoop Aarti and Shej Aarti are performed
every day. Bhajans are sung on all thursday and sunday
evenings. For information regarding the daily schedule,
temple activities and events please visit Mandir's website:
www.templeofpeace.org
or call 678-455-7200

This is to inform all of
you that we have a Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Malaysia. Here
we have daily prayers and special prayers on thursday mornings
9.00am and bhajans and satsang from 8 pm onwards. Also breakfast,
lunch and dinner, cooked by our seva-group is provided to
all devotees. other than that first thursday of the month
we have talk on spirituality, second thursday on health, third
thursday satsang on Sai Satcharitra, fourth thursday talk
on general topics, by experts in the respective fields. Lot
of charitable activities are conducted by our Centre,like
sponsoring immediate services to childrens\' homes, old-folks
homes, sick and needy, etc. etc.

The dream of having a full
fledged exclusive Shirdi Sai Temple in Singapore, will soon
come true. Thanks to the efforts of a Sai devotee in making
this happen. The Shirdi Sai Baba Centre in Singapore is now
live with the 3rd floor function hall, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman
temple, being secured and converted to a full fledged exclusive
Shirdi Sai worship centre. The Centre will be devoted to celebrating
the life & teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba only. For more
information visit our website http://www.saisansthan.com/

You may have given many different gifts to your
friends and loved ones, but giving a subscription of "Heritage
of Shirdi Sai" magazine would be a unique gift as it connects
the people you love with SADGURU SHIRDI SAI and brings
His blessings with the gift.

Topic of Discussion feature is
intended to initiate useful discussions on topics
related to Shirdi Sai Philosophy and His teachings,
Guru Tradition, Teachings of the Sadguru,
the nature and functions of the Perfect Masters,
true devotion, qualification of a disciple, etc.

Send your poem, article or drawing on SHIRDI SAI
BABA and the best ones will be showcased in Heritage of
Shirdi Sai Magazine and in the Children section on our
website. Anybody upto 18 years of age can send in the
material.

In order to ensure that Heritage Of
Shirdi Sai sustains itself and is available to devotees
at affordable rates, we do solicit advertisements. However,
in keeping with the magazine’s philosophy and approach,
the advertisements would be displayed as banners and
not creative commercial product.